It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
